All Services - Critics Picks
Turbo Photo Film Lab
As print media purveyors, we can’t help but feel a kinship with anybody working to keep “outdated” traditions alive. Folks like Holly McVeety-Mill and AJ Gerstenhaber, self-professed children of the Nineties who run a film processing lab out of their South Austin home. Last May, they launched the “Turbo Club” to better serve other film photograph lovers: For half the price of your monthly Netflix subscription, the club offers priority (on their already fast) turnaround, every 10th roll free, and discounted prints, among other perks. Since a renovation last spring, the lab’s evolution has allowed them to not only serve their community, but build it too. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming film-themed events.
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Best Contribution to Canine Mental Health and Interspecies Understanding
Every Dog Behavior and Training
In our book, every dog is a good dog … but sometimes they could use a little help becoming their best dog self. That’s where Austin nonprofit Every Dog comes in. From their wide range of experienced trainers and specialized classes, to their pro bono work with problem dogs from the Austin Humane Society and other organizations, to their free webinars and inclusive financial assistance program, Every Dog is a unique resource for dogs and their companions.
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Riverbat Bites
College serves a buffet of challenges to students, so Austin Community College partnered with Central Texas Food Bank to strike food insecurity from the syllabus. Riverbat Bites is a free food pantry offering shelf-stable items, fresh produce, and hygiene products to actively enrolled ACC students. As of the 2025-2026 school year, the food pantries are available at each ACC campus and help address an important issue felt in Texas, which has the highest food insecurity population in the nation. With this invaluable resource, ACC is helping keep students fed and focused on their education.
students.austincc.edu/essential-resources/riverbat-bites-food-pantry
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Best Relationship-Building Senior Service
Drive a Senior
The dedicated volunteers at Drive a Senior ATX transport qualifying seniors wherever they need to go – from doctor’s appointments and grocery trips to social outings – completely free of charge. Drive a Senior, Senior Access, and Chariot recently merged, and together their service area covers North, Central, and West Austin. The emphasis on socialization sets them apart from other services like CapMetro Pickup. Riders get to know their peers as well as dedicated volunteers like Teddy Ellis, whose naturally warm demeanor makes clients feel right at home.
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Lens of Athena Photography
“Oh, we need a headshot.” Five terrifying words, summoning visions of plastic smiles, stiff collars, and unnaturally saturated color correction. But none of that happens with Lens of Athena Photography. Camera wizard Minerva Villa creates magic, capturing the true essence of her subjects. Her warm, vibrant shots showcase the spirit of whoever steps in front of her lens. Perusing through her Instagram pages is like mainlining pure joy. Everyone’s loose, happy, a snapshot of their best selves. Don’t settle for cold corporate photos or blurry selfies. Channel the soul with Lens of Athena.
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Gentlest Way to Say Goodbye to Your Furry Family
Compassionate Pet Vet
There is no loss like that of a pet. They will leave paw prints on your heart forever. Yet sometimes you have to be the one making the seemingly impossible choice to end their suffering. As a team, doctors Maggie, Brieana, and Liz, as well as care coordinator Glynis and transportation coordinator Gatlin, make the arrangements to allow those final moments to happen in your home so that you can say goodbye in the place that your little friend knew best. Their kindness and empathy make that final passage over the rainbow bridge one that you can hold on to.
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American Botanical Council
Hiding in plain sight in what may be the second-oldest building in Austin, the American Botanical Council is an undersung resource for herbalists in Austin and beyond. ABC provides “science-based and traditional information to promote the responsible use of herbal medicine,” publishing several peer-reviewed publications and books, maintaining a robust database online (accessible to members), and holding an annual free HerbDay in the spring. Their East Austin home, the Case Mill Homestead, dates to 1853, when it was 4 miles outside the city limits of the new capital of the still-infant state of Texas. Grounds that once included the area’s first flour mill now host some 25 different gardens; what goes around, comes around.
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